Sorry but its not luck. You may be able to keep a basic aquarium with luck. But those that know what they are doing will excel. You don't breed freshwater rays or discus, and you don't run high tech planted tanks or marine reef tanks with luck it requires skill and knowledge. Sure fish can still die in the best of care and environment for no reason at all. Some species specialize in doing this. Those that know what they are doing will still have much better results. I've seen a hobbyist spend a couple 100 dollars on a single fish, they don't buy that fish and just hope luck keeps in alive, because luck won't.

As far as bringing up stocking issues when the question is not asked. Its too avoid the trouble down the road. Someone new with a overstocked tank, usually does not realize it. We are simply offering advice. If they don't care their tank is overstock I'm fine with that. However if they come back with problems(too much algae, water problems, fish health issues) it always points back to the overstocking. I've seen people ignore stocking advice, then keep asking why they are having problem when they have a tank with 3x as many fish as they should. Eventually people stop replying to their posts because its clear our advice is going down the drain.

I have seen the reverse where someone is attacked because of their overstocking, every one of their threads is hijacked.

Everyone in this hobby has at some point been told that they overstock/ don't care for their fish properly. I've been told more than once. Advice is advice, people are not required to follow it. Everyone has there own opinions and beliefs.

This site though is very mellow. I have yet to see a real flaming or argument here. There's not even a word filter.... you won't get attacked here.

I agree with Mikaila , With a lotta luck,you may be able to win a few bucks shootin craps. But luck has little to do with survival rate of tropical fish we keep and or whether they remain healthy in a galss box of water.
There is little room for error and many ways to make the hobby stressful.

does any one else see a trend here??? almost all of us have over stocked, been lost with out a clue, tried stuff that didnt work learned how to make it work and shared that information, asked for advice and ignored at least one bit of it, offered advice and been listened to as well as ignored them selves, and above all are open to a discussion about all of it!!!!!! i think regardless of whether or not you personally chose to accept what is offered, be it put in technical terms or brought down to my personal idiot leve,l we as a community of fish keepers are coming together in a wonderful place with great people and making the hobbie fun on all levels....
let it go.

Yea its just a hobby. Just like restoring classic cars, Well i could just spray a coat of paint on with out the primer. ( not a good idea) ( wont last). Well i could start a tank with no water (fish will die) ( not a good idea). Well your hobby is truly a job all hobbys are. You will want the best for what ever hobby it is. The rest of us just want to help thos who need it and ask for it. Remember you came here and asked a few questions to as most of us have. The rest of us have gave you are best answers.

I agree with everything everyone has said, plus I want the fish in Mikaila's avatar!

Seriously though, I have overstocked, been told I am overstocked, lost fish, been frustrated, etc...but for the most part I got good advice from everyone. In fact, at one time, 1077 told me to back away from the ammonia test kit! And Byron has been full of sage advice regarding cories and water chemistry. Yeah, there are always going to be people that troll the "stocking suggestions" threads and say "you're grossly overstocked" or some such thing. I'm sure if I asked, someone on here would tell me that I have no business keeping 8 pygmy cories, 6 CPD's, 6 burma gold spot danios, 2 honeycomb oil cats, 2 CPO's and a dozen or so RCS in a 16g bowfront. (By the way, I use an unconventional alternative to the inch/gallon rule...if all the fish in my tank can fit in a shot glass, I'm not overstocked)

The solution is simple. Do a search before you ask, read the threads, note the members that seem to giive good, constructive advice, and when you finally do ask your question, look for the replies from them. Then, as Yoda would say, "Do, or do not..."

I agree with everything everyone has said, plus I want the fish in Mikaila's avatar!

Seriously though, I have overstocked, been told I am overstocked, lost fish, been frustrated, etc...but for the most part I got good advice from everyone. In fact, at one time, 1077 told me to back away from the ammonia test kit! And Byron has been full of sage advice regarding cories and water chemistry. Yeah, there are always going to be people that troll the "stocking suggestions" threads and say "you're grossly overstocked" or some such thing. I'm sure if I asked, someone on here would tell me that I have no business keeping 8 pygmy cories, 6 CPD's, 6 burma gold spot danios, 2 honeycomb oil cats, 2 CPO's and a dozen or so RCS in a 16g bowfront. (By the way, I use an unconventional alternative to the inch/gallon rule...if all the fish in my tank can fit in a shot glass, I'm not overstocked)

The solution is simple. Do a search before you ask, read the threads, note the members that seem to giive good, constructive advice, and when you finally do ask your question, look for the replies from them. Then, as Yoda would say, "Do, or do not..."

That is all.

I liked this post. Hahaha...but really, if you werent trolling, you still did a good job making people get all in a tizzy. You more than likely knew what all responses were gonna be like...

I liked this post. Hahaha...but really, if you werent trolling, you still did a good job making people get all in a tizzy. You more than likely knew what all responses were gonna be like...

Well, naturally before I would post a question I would do a search first and make sure my question wasn't already asked and answered a jillion times, but with forum search engines what they are...that and I might find an answer to a similar question, but not one that fit my circumstances *exactly* so I would ask.

And nothing I have previously posted has tizzied anyone! Evar!

And in the event you weren't talking to me....as Gilda Radner once said..."Never Mind!"